1. Technical Field
The present disclosure relates to interlocking bricks and, more specifically, to approaches for providing authentication based on an arrangement or configuration of interlocking bricks.
2. Discussion of Related Art
Some popular children's toys provide children with a way of exploring their creativity and analytical skills by providing sets of interlocking bricks that may be connected to create various structures and designs. These interlocking bricks are often constructed of plastic and may include a set of raised protrusions on one side and a set of holes on an opposite side. The interlocking bricks may be fashioned as cuboids or any other shape, and are relatively easy to snap together and pull apart as the protrusions of one brick engage with the holes of another brick. It is common for interlocking bricks to be brightly and variously colored.
It is a defining characteristics of interlocking bricks that they may be used to create a wide variety of different configurations and arrangements, both simple and complex. It is also a characteristic of interlocking bricks that a configuration or arrangement of bricks can be created, broken apart, and then later re-created in an identical manner.
In a field thus far unrelated to the world of interlocking bricks, people are exploring ways of authenticating users to various electronic accounts, applications, and services. While passwords are still the most common means by which users authenticate themselves, other means of authentication include challenge questions, biometrics, and authenticating, chips, keys and dongles.
One limiting factor that is common among various existing means of authentication is that authentication is generally all-or-nothing. For example, a password is either entered correctly or incorrectly. A fingerprint is either recognized as authenticating or is not so-recognized. Therefore, where it is desired that multiple tiers of authentication be granted, users must memorize multiple passwords, etc.
Another limiting factor that is common among various existing means of authentication is that they tend to be inaccessible to children, or, in trying to be more accessible to children, wind up being too easy to circumvent, and therefore not particularly useful as means of secure authentication.